Barry's secret
by Blackbird2000
Summary: Barry isn't just the Flash, and his past comes back to haunt him.
1. Chapter 1

Barry Allen's eleventh year was both the best and the absolute worst of his life. On his eleventh birthday he received a strange letter from an even stranger school, claiming the clever and level headed child was, in fact, a wizard. So he was whisked off for an exciting and magical year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And he excelled.

Barry was a remarkably talented young boy, and he always had been. He and Hermione Granger got on rather well. That talent followed him into the magical world. Magic came easily to him, and he quickly made friends, while still keeping a low profile. He revelled in magic. But he never lost his fascination with muggle science. He read books his friends and classmates didn't understand. Everything was looking up.

Then, that summer, it all came crashing down. He went home to Central City in the states, and his mother was murdered by something impossible, even for magic. He moved in with Joe and Iris, and his father was put in jail. It was all falling apart, and that only made Barry even more determined to hold it together. He continued in Hogwarts, even more driven than before, he became close with Iris, who was told he went to a special school for prodigies, and Joe, who knew the truth. He studied science with even more fervor than magic. And he was very good at it.

Then there was the basilisk. It tormented the school, everyone was frightened. He was one of the only Hufflepuffs that didn't believe Harry Potter was the 'Heir of Slytherin'. Then Sirius black was on the loose. The next year the Tri-Wizard tournament happened, and poor Harry Potter was once again put through the wringer. Once again, Barry was one of the few who believed the boy. Then Cedric Diggory was murdered. Barry knew Cedric, he liked the older Hufflepuff. It brought back painful memories of losing his mother when there was nothing he could do.

Then that horrible Umbridge woman came to school. Barry happily joined the DA, and was one of many who endured her painful detentions. Then Dumbledore died. Everything went really south. Joe pulled him out, much to Barry's protests. But what could he do? He was sixteen, a muggle born fascinated by muggle science. He was a huge target, and Joe refused to allow it. He read the _Prophet, _and knew something was wrong.

Barry helped as best as he could from afar, sending supplies and spells and anything else he could, but there just wasn't much that he could do. Then the war ended. He went back and graduated with flying colors from Hogwarts. After that he went to a muggle college, distancing himself from the magical world, determined to catch who killed his mother and free his father. He got a job as a forensic scientist, and quietly pined after Iris. He lived, unlike many of his friends.

Then the particle collider exploded, and he was hit. His life changed. Iris fell in love with Eddie, which was agony, and he woke up with powers that had nothing to do with his magic. Though they would have certainly helped when he was the Hufflepuff chaser. (The hat had a tough choice between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, before deciding his loyalty outweighed the other traits).

He worked with S.T.A.R labs, became the flash, saved lives, and he was that much closer to catching the Man in the Yellow Suit. His life was almost good. His wand and spell books were gathering dust in his old trunk in the closet. He had left that life behind, for the most part. It was too good to be true.


	2. Bluefinch

Barry forced himself to smile at Joe's comment, silently wishing he could still get drunk. The ordeal with General Eiling and F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M had left him tense and uneasy. He couldn't help worrying about next time, or if there would be a next time (he had a very, very bad feeling there would). He was jerked out of his thoughts by the simultaneous noise of Joe cheering and a knock at the door. "I'll get it." He volunteered. He walked over to the door, pulling it open, not quite sure what to expect. Whatever it was, it was not what he found waiting for him. The person he found at the door stopped him short.

He was somewhat small, with a light build. Messy black hair topped a handsome face, and emerald green eyes shone behind round glasses. It was a face he, and everyone in the british wizarding world, knew very well. The Boy-Who-Lived, Voldemort's mortal enemy and vanquisher. Ice settled in Barry's stomach. He had absolutely nothing against Harry, from the few times they had interacted he thought the other boy was quite nice. But if Harry was here, then that meant something very bad was going on. Something involving the wizarding world. That was very much not good, piled onto several days worth of 'not good'. It was a bit much, even for him. He bit back a frustrated groan, and the temptation to run away as fast as he possibly could.

"Barry Allen?" Harry Potter asked politely.

"Barry? Who is it?" Joe leaned back on the couch. Barry winced, and Harry smiled slightly.

"Come in." He stepped aside, Harry following. Barry deftly snatched the remote from where it lay, clicking off the TV.

"Hey!" Joe protested. "Who's this?" He asked, noticing Harry.

"Joe, this is Harry Potter." Harry looked pained, waiting for Joe's reaction. Joe frowned.

"You mean that kid that nearly got you killed?" Barry closed his eyes, and Harry flinched.

"Joe!" Barry snapped. Joe just huffed. Barry sighed. "Sorry."

Harry waved him off. "He isn't wrong." There was a heavy dose of guilt in Harry's voice, Barry knew he blamed himself for everyone that had died in the war. Barry wished he could say he shouldn't, but that would be a bit hypocritical. After all, he blamed himself for every life lost, every person he couldn't save, as the Flash.

"Why are you here?" Barry asked. Harry slid a sideways look at Joe. "He's fine." Barry assured. Harry nodded, and Barry gestured for him to sit.

"A few weeks ago, a Death Eater escaped from ministry custody." Barry's eyes widened.

"Who?" Barry asked fearfully.

"Alec Bluefinch_._" The blood drained from Barry's face. Just because he hadn't actually been in the war didn't mean he hadn't participated. Alec was one of two Hufflepuff recruits. They were exemplary Hufflepuffs. Hardworking and completely loyal to their cause. Unfortunately, that cause was Voldemort. Barry had figured it out and succeeded in getting them, as well as the squad of death eaters they were working with, caught or killed. Needless to say, they didn't like him much.

"How? After Sirius Black-" Barry noticed Harry's slight tensing at the name, and felt a pang of sympathy. Black had been exonerated and hailed as a hero after the war ended, but it would never bring him back. "- and the Death Eaters escaped the new ministry rebuilt the whole place, ground up. Hermione was in charge. Hermione. _Granger_."

Harry sighed, and gave a small grin. "As she keeps reminding me. She's furious, and she has no idea how he did it. No one does, it shouldn't have been possible."

Crap, crap, crap. The very last thing they needed was a Death Eater with metahuman abilities.

"There are no traces of magic, no damage to the runes or the wards, nothing. Just four dead guards."

Barry's stomach began to sink. "But they snapped his wand, he couldn't have used magic, and Azkaban guards aren't allowed to bring their wands into the prison." The guards were humans rather than dementors, trained intensely in windless magic and muggle hand to hand (there weren't enough old, blood purist families left to throw a hissy fit at that, and besides, Hermione was on a warpath. All ye who dare defy her, beware.)

Harry nodded, looking tense and worried. Azkaban security was top-notch. After the war, Barry helped Hermione design it. The magic was extremely complex, even a fully trained and equipped team would have a long and difficult time dismantling it. It might even take years, because goodness knows it took long enough to be put _up_. Between the five of them, (Harry, Hermione, Ron, Barry and George) they had thought of almost everything. Except metahumans. _Please, please let me be wrong. _Barry thought desperately. If he was a metahuman, not only was he way more dangerous, but it opened the possibility that he wasn't the only one. Not only that, but it would drag the Flash and S.T.A.R labs into this, and he really, really wanted to avoid that. He doubted Caitlin and Cisco would appreciate not being told about that particular skill set.

Harry watched him, eyes stormy. He was one of the few people alive who knew exactly how Barry felt. To be targeted by a maniac, who would go after his friends, and wanting to keep said friends away and safe. But if Barry's friends were anything like his, it wasn't going to happen. And that was the best option. If he learned something from his ordeal with Voldemort, letting your friends in is safer than pushing them away. That way they know what they're up against, and can fight it. Can help _him _fight it. Alone, he would fail.

Joe watched the scene before him with growing concern. Barry had been sketchy about some of the details of Hogwarts. Joe hadn't pushed. He knew Barry, the boy was stubborn. If Barry didn't want to tell him, Joe wouldn't be told. But an escaped convict was after his son, and he knew Barry well enough to be able to tell that he was scared. Terrified. Likely more for Joe and Iris than for himself. Sometimes Barry's selflessness and loyalty frustrated him. Kid would let himself die if it meant protecting someone else, and as a parent that was troubling.

Joe stood. "I'm going down to the station, we'll put out an alert on Bluefinch." Barry looked at him gratefully, and Harry inclined his head in thanks.

"Iris-" Barry began.

"This time, she knows. Not all the details, just that a murder had escaped from Britain and fled to America. I'll have Eddie shadow her." Barry relaxed slightly, but he was still worried.

"I'll call STAR labs." Barry ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. Joe understood that he didn't want to drag any more people into this mess, but it was too late. As soon as they helped him be the Flash, it was too late. They were involved. He also knew Barry was not looking forward to telling them about his magic. They wouldn't be happy with him. Joe sighed, and walked out, the door closing with a click.

Barry turned to look at Harry."How did the guards die?"

"It looks almost like a combination of the cruciatus curse and the killing curse. They went through extreme pain, and then they died."

"But Alec didn't have a _wand, _and there were enough suppressant potions in his food to keep his magic from working for a week." The suppressant was Hermione's invention, as were most things these days, with some help from Luna and Neville. Luna inherited her mother's gift for potions, and Nevill's knowledge of herbology was really helpful. (Barry himself was as gifted in potions as it's muggle counterpart, which is to say very, but he had already come back to America by this time. He knew of the progress because of the occasional letter, and eventually a triumphant note from the three that it was a success.)

It did nothing against channeling magic through a wand, but it stopped wandless or accidental magic. Harry nodded. "That's why everyone is so confused." He kept up easily with the taller boy, having gotten plenty of practice with Ron. Barry lead him upstairs and to his room, where Harry leaned on the door frame and Barry fished in the back of his closet. "No one has any idea how he escaped. It should not be possible."

_I have a guess. I just hope i'm wrong. _Barry shoved the thought away. Alec was in Azkaban when the particle accelerator exploded. There was no way he was a metahuman. The matter released from the explosion could not have reached him. _I hope_.


End file.
